George Willard Dickey
keets(July 10, 1915 – June 16, 1976) was a backup
catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...
in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
who played for two different teams between
1935 and
1947. Listed at , 180 lb., Dickey was a
switch-hitter and threw
right-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...
. He was the younger brother of
Hall of Famer
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...
Bill Dickey
William Malcolm Dickey (June 6, 1907 – November 12, 1993) was an American professional baseball catcher and manager. He played in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees for 19 seasons. Dickey managed the Yankees as a player-manager in ...
.
A native of
Kensett, Arkansas
Kensett is a city in White County, Arkansas, United States. Located adjacent to the east side of Searcy, the city is the hometown of noted legislator Wilbur D. Mills, who was influential throughout the 1960s and 1970s in the United States House ...
, Dickey entered the majors in 1935 with the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
, playing for them until 1936 before joining the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
(1941–42, 1946–47). He was one of many major leaguers who saw his baseball career interrupted when he joined the
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
(1943–45). His most productive season came with the 1947 White Sox, when he appeared in a career-high 83 games while hitting .223 with one
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
, six
doubles, and 27
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...
.
In a six-season career, Dickey was a .204 hitter (101-for-494) with four home runs and 54 RBI in 226 games, including 36
runs, 12 doubles, and four
stolen bases.
Dickey married Mildred Allen Dickey and had three children; Mary Allen, Joye, and William.
Dickey died in
DeWitt, Arkansas
DeWitt is the second largest city in Arkansas County, Arkansas, United States, which also serves as the county seat of the southern district of Arkansas County. Population was 3,292 at the time of the 2010 census. The city is located on the Ark ...
, at the age of 60.
References
Retrosheet
1915 births
1976 deaths
Boston Red Sox players
Chicago White Sox players
Major League Baseball catchers
Baseball players from Arkansas
United States Navy personnel of World War II
Wheeling Stogies players
Scranton Miners players
Norfolk Tars players
Little Rock Travelers players
Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players
Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players
Portland Beavers players
Oklahoma City Indians players
Birmingham Barons players
People from Kensett, Arkansas
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